


Starting Over

by KiyokoSanChoLee



Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alcohol, Almost Kiss, Almost Rape, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Background Relationships, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Fooled Around and Fell in Love, From the beginning, Gen, JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY, Jealousy, Robot/Human Relationships, Sexy, Sexy Shepard, Slow Burn, Smut, and some fries - Freeform, been with me, buy me a drink, cheery, don't judge her, hat boy - Freeform, taken advantage, who likes sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 16:30:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16044221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiyokoSanChoLee/pseuds/KiyokoSanChoLee
Summary: Slightly AU, Joker and Shepard met before they joined the Normandy. Will they be able to overcome all of the obstacles that life seems to throw at them and finally be together? Or will they continuously have to start over from square one?





	Starting Over

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I do NOT own anything, those lucky folks at Bioware owns EVERYthing, which is why I need to ad-lib a bit, to get my Shoker fix :) Comments are always welcome!

**_A/N:_ ** _Thank you for taking the time out to read this work of mine. I hope y'all will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is my first Mass Effect work, ever, so please go easy on me. I've also been a little rusty...since I haven't written anything in some years. Anyway...ENJOY!_

 

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_Shepard_

_**2175- Citadel** _

Charlotte Shepard may tolerate a lot of things, but tardiness is high on her list of “Intolerable Acts”. Which is why she is currently running through Courtyard D, as if her life depended on it. _If only Mr. Acadus would stop using me as an example for his class, then I wouldn’t be late._ She thinks as she glances down at her watch, harrumphing in annoyance as she notices the time, just thinking about the look on Captain Anderson’s face sets a fire to her already rapid steps.

At the thought of the captain, she still can’t believe her good fortune. It wasn’t long ago when she was living on a farm, surrounded by, well- more farms. Neither her parents, nor her friends would believe where she was today, encompassed on all sides by buildings, let alone people! She slows down in her haste, at the thought of her family and the colony that was lost on Mindoir, it is then that she hears loud guffaws and giggles floating over on the crisp spring breeze.

She cranes her head to get a glimpse at what was causing the laughter, what she sees stops her in her tracks. _The nerve!_ Inwardly groaning, knowing she’s not going to make it to her meeting on time, she makes her way over to the poor boy on the ground.

“Hey! What’s your problem!” Charlie exclaims as she nears the small crowd of students, narrowing her eyes at them and shaking her head.

Turning away from the snickering, she extends her hand to the boy who’s trying, yet failing to right himself. “Are you alright? Here, let me help you up.”

“NO! I got it.” He states, as he places both hands in front of him, carefully bringing his knees up.

“It would be much easier, if you’d just let me help you.”

“I said- I got…”

He whips his head up, about to tell her what to do with her offer of help, when she quirks her eyebrow and gives him a bright smile, effectively cutting him off. She takes advantage of his gaping to do a little ogling of her own. He’s cute, in an ‘I want a cuddle’ sort of way, with indigo eyes that looks as if they’ve seen enough pain in his young life, huh, _I wonder if he can see the same in me,_ is her thoughts when the voices behind them start to intensify.

Out of the corner of her eye she sees a blonde-headed boy snidely commenting, “Aww, would you look at that, even faced with a pretty girl, he doesn’t crack a smile.” That elicits more giggles and sniggers from the others, clearly, he’s the ring-leader. “Isn’t that right, JOKER?!”

Having met the quota of “Fucks-to give” for the day, she decides ‘Mr. Show-off’ needs a lesson in manners. “Excuse me” she says to the boy being unfairly ridiculed, and jumps up, whirling around she marches straight up to ‘Mr. Show-off’. As he straightens up, gazing at her with interest, she punches him square in the nose, catching him off balance, he slips and falls on his rear end into the mud, immediately quieting all laughter.

Smirking to herself she skips back over and places her arms across her chest, “Now that was satisfying.”

Recovering from the shock, ‘hat boy’, as she dubs him, seeing as he’s been hiding behind it this entire time, slowly eases himself up to a stand. As he does this, Charlie can’t help but notice the way he seems to favor his legs, taking care of the positions he uses to help him stand, and the way his pant legs seem to droop around him. Raking her eyes up his chest, it doesn’t allude her, the way that his t-shirt seems to fit more snugly around his upper body, especially his biceps.

Smiling she extends her hand once again. “It seems like we got off on the wrong foot, I’m Charlotte. Charlotte Shepard, nice to meet you.”

“Oh, umm, Jeff Moreau.”

As she places her hand in his, she exhales at the warmth of his palm and how her hand seems to fit nicely in his larger one. “So…I hate to ask, but why were they calling you Joker?”

He tenses and jerks his hand away, back to the safety of his crutches, crutches that she didn’t seem to notice until now. _You would’ve noticed them, had you not been pre-occupied with ogling him._ “If it makes you too uncomfortable you don’t have to answer.”

He shakes his head quickly, “Nah, it’s okay. My flight instructor gave me the nickname, on account that I don’t smile nearly enough.”

“It’s time to spread our wings and fly, don’t let another day go by…” Charlie says, placing her hand upon his forearm, feeling his arm tense slightly under her touch, loving the feel of the hair under her fingers. “It’ll be just like starting over.”

He chuckles lightly, glancing at the slim hand upon his arm, “Hmm, I wouldn’t have pegged you for a John Lennon fan.”

“Good job, hat boy!”

Confusion is written upon his face, at the nickname. “Hat boy?”

“Well, I thought it would be obvious…”

“Ah-ha! I see where you were going with that.”

“As Mr. Lennon said, don’t let another day go by, hat boy. Take that nickname and wear it as a badge of honor.”

Not knowing if it was the determined look upon her face, or the fact that they somehow inched closer to each other during their banter, something clicks and he’s nodding his head. “You’re right, cheery…”

“Cheery, huh?”

“Yes, because you smile too much, it’s only fitting. I’m thinking Mr. Gavett would be mighty proud.”

“Oh, do I?” Her laugh is cut short as she feels a vibration at her hip, where her arm rested, notifying her to an incoming call, she taps a few buttons on her omni-tool, bringing up the caller. “Shit!” She exclaims, making hat boy jump.

Bouncing around in circles, frantically picking up the discarded books and shoving them into Jeff’s arms, she apologizes. “I’m so sorry, I have to go. I’m so dead and so late.”

“This one isn’t mine.” He says, studying the cover of her military maneuver and strategy book, before handing it back to her with a surprised look upon his face.

Pulling the book close to her chest she acts on impulse as she thanks him with a smile and a kiss to his cheek, “Right, thanks.”

Spinning on her heel, she throws her hand in the air, her pointer and middle finger standing straight up. “Oh, before I forget, since you guessed my Lennon quote right, you owe me a drink and a GINORMOUS order of fries.” She calls over her shoulder, “I’ll make sure to come hungry and thirsty!” She winks, before sprinting off to meet Anderson, informing him that she got delayed and she’ll tell him all about it when she sees him, at least the parts about helping hat boy out with the jerks from earlier.

 

 

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 **_A/N:_ ** _And that's it for the first chapter. I have been so upset that I can't romance Joker, after replaying my games, that I decided to write about them instead. I hope you liked it and if you did, please leave me some kudos and comment below to let me know what you think :)_


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